Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 76, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 May 1903 — FRIDAY THE LAST DAY. [ARTICLE]

FRIDAY THE LAST DAY.

If You Are Against the Saloon put yourself on record. "* a The Wooes and Children of Rensselaer appeal to the ~~ Men of the First Ward to Banish this Evil M from our midst. lire Cold Facts About How Towns an “Killed.”—A False Report Related.

We understand that a report is being circulated to the effect that those who are earrying on the work of remonstrating against the saloons have entered into an agreement to allow one saloon keeper to ■lip through. We want it tinder stood that w£ have no faWprs to show. It is oar intention on the fight ontil every saloon is banished from out oity. How it “Killed” Fargo, N. D. to Drive Ont tbe Saloons. £ This oity has a population of 11,556 and is rapidly increasing. There is not a vaoant dwelling or business house in the oity. In six “dry” years $1,500,000 has been spent in new bnijdings, bank d 6 posits have inoreased two and onehalf times, the wholesale trade of the oity was over fonr million dollars, -They have purchased their waterworks plant and it pays 8 peroent interest oa the investment They have 22 miles paved streets and other publio improvements have kept pace, but notwithstanding all of this investment the tax is 25 peroent less than when they had saloons to help them pav it.

How it Huntington, Tenn. Under “dry” times in a single year bank deposits increased fifty peroent. Taxation has been less notwithstanding that in this year a $6,000 sohool building was erected. To indioate how it harts business in tbe same year a new $2,000 hotel building was erected.

In 1886 Cambridge, Mara., voted the saloons oat and kept them outWe give below the results. 1. TRADE The anticipated injury to local trade has not been experienced, although Boston with all its stores is only a bridge length away. Two years ago 257 Cambridge merchants signed an appeal declaring that no license had been benefioial and expressing a desire for its continuance. 2 BAVINGS—Daring the ten years of license the savings banks made a net gain of $155,333 each year in deposits. Daring the ten no-license years the ennual net gain bas bsen $366,654 This gain has been chiefly iu small deposits of SSO and less. In the manufacturing section for tbe laet year it was four times that of tbe last year of lioense. 3» ~ VALUATION OF PROPERTY—For ten years of lioense tbe property valuation dropped from $62,000,000 to $69,000,000. In tbe following ten years of nolioense it arose to $83,000,000. Here is a loss of $3,000,000 in a decade under license and • gain of $24 000,000 under the no-lioeDee for tbe same length of time. 4. BUILDING —ln the deoade tinder lioense there were 161 bouses built annually. Under no-lioense in the decade there were 332 houses built annually. - 5. -TAXES—“The city get annually in taxes on tbe increased valuation of tbe oitj under nolicense, three or soar times as mnob as it wonld get from lioense, if it railed tbe saloons baok 6. POPULATION —ln the

ten license years the average annnal inoreaee in population was 1,182; in-the ten no-lioense years it has been 2,196 per annum. 7. PUBLIO ORDER The Chief of Police and the three police oaptains agree in bearing witness to the improved eonifition of the streets, and the falling off in drunkenness and orimes inoident to drunkenness. Tbe Chief states that 75 per oent. of the arrests for drunkenness are made on the bridges or on the street oars, and aie persons who bought their liquor iu Boston. At the fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of Cambridge as a oity, there was the remarkable speotaole of 85,000 people celebrating from sunrise to snnset with tot a single drunken man vieible anywhere, 8. This is an example of whaf may be done by suppressing the saloon evil, even in cities of considerable population, when the movement ie oharaotenzed by a resolute purpose and a sanotified. common sense. This arMclc is eondensed from an article in the New York Independent” of Kay 28th, 1897

How it “Killed” Koightstown, Ind. Knightstown has refused to grant licenses for tbe selling of intoxicating liquors and the way it has “killed” the town is astonishing. Tbe merchants themselves testify that the men are buying goods in larger quantities than ever before, and men whp onoe asked for credit are now paying cash. The Trustee makes the statement that the poor orders last Feby„ under no lioense, amounted to five dollars while for the corresponding time in 1901 under lioense they amonntdcl to a little over sixty two dollars.

How it “Killed” Washington Pa. “There hat probably been no town in the state that has developed more rapidly, whose business is better and its merchants and business men mote. enterprising than in this town. It is not true that prohibition towns never make any progress. Without looking at the question beyond its material aspect, we are oertain as it is possible to be, Washington’s success and progress have been due rather to the fact that it is a prohibition town. “There is no town of its size in Amerioa where so large a percentage of tbe working people own homes. The money of the workingman goes into the saving banks and loan associations rather than into the coffers of the saloon keepers. There is nearly $5,000,000 on deposit in oar fioanoial institutions. During the past" year 700 honsea were erected ia tbe town. Tbe population in one year in> oreased nearly 2,000 and meratMan doublvJ daring the pastpseren years. Daring the yedr 1902 aoiions in tbetoWn. We question the possibility of other communities of like population being able to show a record that o&n he placed anywhere near this figureeven tboogh they have lioensed saloon*.”—Pittsburg Times, Feb.' I, 1908